Sunday, 3 October 2010

The Last Picture Show...

I spent an interesting morning in West Bromwich last Friday, as I took down my paintings from the empty shop units that I’ve been exhibiting them in for the last two months as part of Sandwell Arts 'Art In Empty Spaces' project.

The town is in desperate need of regeneration, and indeed there is a great deal of activity to support this. I’ve enjoyed exhibiting my work, and even if I say so myself, I don’t think the portraits looked half bad. Sadly though, my intention to change some of the portraits around during the exhibition never materialized for one reason or another.

I lined up all the paintings along the shopping arcade for a few photos, as I thought that this might be the last opportunity I ever have to see all the paintings together again.

I was commissioned to paint 25, and eventually made over 30. One was sold when they were first shown, and I’ve also taken a couple off the stretchers which I felt weren’t as successful in retrospect. Looking at all of the remaining ones now in these photos, it still seems like a pretty substantial body of work. I can’t ever imagine being presented with an opportunity like this commission again.